ROCKFORD - One of Ron Clewer's goals for 2013 was to make sure the Rockford Housing Authority continued to move in the right direction even if he was no longer around to steer the ship.

The 47-year-old CEO accomplished that this year when he completed the agency's new five-year strategic plan.

It was one of many accomplishments, personal and professional, that made 2013 a stand-out year for Clewer.

He completed his associate's degree and will begin working on his bachelor's in 2014. He wrapped up a two-year planning process to revitalize Rockford's Ellis Heights neighborhood. He worked with online retailer Etsy to give housing authority residents the chance to become an Etsy merchant and graduate from the company's very first training class.

And, after nearly 10 years of seeking justice in his brother's violent stabbing death in Chicago, Clewer spent some time letting go.

"I had to put part of that away," Clewer said of his brother's unsolved case. "Dwelling on it was harmful to me. I was losing a part of myself over something I'd never understand."